1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to display devices and more particularly to volumetric imaging devices created by moving light emitting elements.
2. Background Art
The presentation of visual images by moving display elements has a long and expansive history. Numerous inventions have been proposed which have generally been too complicated to be reliable, expensive to manufacture, without sufficient resolution, or sufficient stability to gain wide acceptance. Following the development of light emitting diodes (LEDs), a large variety of displays, A games, wands and yo-yos have been manufactured, publicly presented and patented. These inventions strobe arrays of individual light elements or pixels as the array is displaced cyclically, producing an image or pattern due to the persistence phenomenon of human vision. Sinclair in U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,784 closes one such device. Francis Duffy in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,235 discloses linear wand of LEDs oscillated by a door buzzer electromagnetic actuator. He anticipated that a manual actuator may be used, and subsequent to his publication numerous manual devices were produced. Edwin Berlin in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,973 extended the work of Duffy to both 2 and 3 devices using xe2x80x9crotationalxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cshort-distance oscillatory motionxe2x80x9d with extensions of Nipkow""s disc television. Berlin also disclosed the use of moving digital memory and electronics and a xe2x80x9csingle pulse (per cycle) . . . which adjusts the frequency of a dock (controlling the timing of each LED)xe2x80x9d. Berlin also disclosed an infrared LED data receiver including onboard memory. Berlin built a number of devices including manually activated xe2x80x9cspinning topxe2x80x9d type toys. Bill Bell is his U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,044 disclosed a single stationary array of LEDs with xe2x80x9csaccadic eye movementxe2x80x9d timing with non-claimed references to applications including wands, tops and bicycles. The Bell invention, sold by the MIT Gift Shop in the 1980s, was widely applied to spinning objects including frisbees, vehicle wheels, fans, tops, etc. Marhan Reysman in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,542 discloses a spinning disc toy with a centrifugal switch causing a light to be illuminated. It follows a line of inventions related to tops and yo-yos. Hiner is his U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,753 discloses a toy flying saucer with a centrifugal motion sensor.
This inventor, in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,031 discloses a method of data display control and method for the proper display of images to all observers in both directions for projection and LED moving displays. Numerous related hand-activated toys or educational devices incorporating centrifugal on/off switches and the IR communication method of Berlin were built and publicly displayed at the Museum of Science, the Children""s Museum in Boston and the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Recently, the techniques of Duffy, Berlin, Bell and Solomon were applied to handheld wands differentiated from the prior art by the specific detailed centrifugal switch designs. Tokimoto is his U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,300 discloses a display wand with a hall effect acceleration sensor. Sako in his U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,456 uses an inertial sensor having xe2x80x9ca pair of fixed contacts and a moveable contactxe2x80x9d to adjust the clock of the display electronics. While inventive and functional, the Sako design remains awkward and requires considerable energy to maintain an image. For these reasons, it is unsuitable for entertainment, marketing and game applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,966 appears to restate the teaching of Bell, Berlin, and Hiner patents in a mechanical topxe2x80x94a combination which has publicly constructed in the 1980sxe2x80x94with the addition of a combination incorporating a bar code reader for reprogramming. This narrow improvement using a bar code reader has considerable utility for low cost games and novelty items. Like the Tokimoto and Sako patents, the Capps patent demonstrates the importance of precise and limited element improvements to a crowded art.
A number of problem have remained including the development of switching methodology which permits a static on-off state, display freedom from inertial changes and a frame of reference to global orientation. None of the more recent wand patents would work properly if the wand were twirled in the air as a nightstick or a baton, or the revolution direction reversed.
The present invention discloses an improved method of creating a visual display with moving elements including an improved switching technology of greater utility, lower cost and increase performance.
Another object of the invention is an improved switching method with includes a frame of reference to global orientation.
Another object of the invention is an improved switching method with includes a direction of revolution frame of reference.
Another object of the invention is a reduction in the energy required to sustain a image.
Another object of this invention to provide a game method which enhances hand-eye coordination and other skills
A further object is the application of the method of the present invention to entertainment devices and games.